In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, John recalled his first dalliance with cocaine as the "Worst decision of my life. I shouted at people. I wasn't proud of that behavior because it is not really who I am."

The singer/composer continued, suggesting that his bad reputation in the music industry was a result of how ugly his behavior was when he was high. But his saving grace has always been song.

"It led a lot of people to say I've always been a diva," he said. "I am not. Now I don't take drugs. ... Music, from the age of three or four, was my comfort blanket. And when I was doing terrible things to myself in the '70s and '80s, it was also my comfort blanket. And so it kept me alive. Music has been everything to me. ...If I hadn't have had that love of music, I would have died, without question. Because even when I was at the depths of despair, I used to play music all the time."